Nissan's budget brand Datsun has showcased its highly anticipated first product, the Go hatchback, at the Auto Expo 2014 in all the four colours the car would be available in. The Datsun Go is expected to be launched in March with deliveries to start soon after. Datsun has promised an aggressive sub-Rs 4 lakh price tag and will officially start taking bookings from this month.
The Datsun Go will initially only be sold with a 1.2-litre petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. This is quite similar to the 1.2-litre HR12DE-3 cylinder motor that powers the Micra Active. Datsun claims fuel efficiency at 20.6kpl and the carmaker will offer a comprehensive two-year/unlimited km warranty. Nissan has picked to mount the gearbox on the dashboard in the Datsun Go to maximise internal space in the front of the car. At 3,785mm, the Go is much longer than its direct competition, the Maruti Alto and the Hyundai Eon. The long 2,450mm wheelbase provides generous amount of room in the cabin and the Datsun Go promises to have ample space for five adults.
Datsun has started production of its Go at Renault-Nissan’s factory at Oragadam, off Chennai. It will also follow up the Datsun Go with two other products for the Indian market viz. Datsun Go+ MPV and the even smaller Redi-Go hatch.
All three cars will be built at the Renault-Nissan’s joint manufacturing facility at Oragadam. Although for now, the Go and other Datsun cars are meant for sale in the Indian market, exports could become a part of the plan given Nissan’s strong export focus out of India.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Dipan Sur
Dhruv Dhaka
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